Customer Reviews

Soy Desserts: 101 Fresh, Fun & Fabulously Healthy Recipes

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I tried Ms. Greenberg's tofu pumpkin cheese cake for this Thanksgiving. I was skeptical about the recipe even when I was baking it. I mean come on, soy cream cheese and tofu instead of real cream cheese and eggs? On top of those two ingredients the recipe called for soy margarine for the Graham cracker crust. But I decided to give it a try. In case it wouldn't turn out nice, I had a frozen pie in the freezer as a back up. But eureka! Even the batter tasted so good. (There are no raw ingredients like eggs in this recipe, so I tasted the batter.) I put it in the oven. To my surprise, it turned out to be a wonderful dessert. Everyone loved it although not everyone at the table was exactly a devoted fan of traditional pumkin pies. When I broke the seal of silence and told the guests what the ingredients were, they were absolutely speechless. Try it, and see the amazing results yourselves. The texture may not be as firm as regular cheese cake, but I liked that silky smooth texture. After all, one could always call it a tofu creamy mousse or something. But if you prefer firmer texture, I think, you can add some more tofu.

This cookbook is wonderful! I was impressed by the design of the book - sharp, modern and visually tasty--a great grapic analog to the deliciousness of the desserts. The recipes have a lot of variety, are very satisfying, are much healthier than their traditional counterparts, and are easily made with items that are staples in almost any vegetarian household. As a self-professed dessert fiend who was at a loss about what to do for tasty, healthy vegetarian desserts, I am glad to have the Soy Desserts cookbook to satisfy my dessert jones. Allow me to paraphrase Ren and Stimpy: Happy! Happy! Soy! Soy!

This book must have been rushed to press with very little, if any, testing. The author clearly recycled existing conventional recipes, substituting some soy flour in place of wheat flour. To truly succeed in baking with soy ingredients, you need to compensate for the taste and behavior of the soy flour. In my experience making these recipes, they all need adjusting and doctoring. She routinely leaves salt and vanilla out of the recipes, or calls for much too little salt. They generally lack flavor.
Additionally, the table of contents and index are next to useless. Every recipe is named "Soy something-or-other" which makes it tedious to find what you're looking for. I was thrilled to find this book initially, but am now beyond disappointed with it. If I feel like baking something new, I might look at this book, but I never bake from it. I find better recipes for free on the web.

Whether you are an experienced cook, or just starting out, Thisbook contains over 100 delicious and easy dessert recipes for you toenjoy. All of the items should be recognizable to you. They are basedon classical dessert recipes, taken from a wide variety of cuisines,substituting your old favorites with soy based ingredients.

I am anutritionist, trained chef, and cooking teacher, working with soy forover 15 years. I am still amazed at what soy can do. You may becompletely new to the world of soy products or you may be familiarwith some forms, but not with others. You can experiment with your ownrecipes by following the suggested guidelines throughout the book, andthere is a source guide that will help you obtain all the differentproducts available today. My personal favorites are the "NewYork" Tofu Cheesecake, and the Soy Chocolate Truffles.Nutritionalanalysis are listed at the bottom of each recipe for yourconvenience.

...Health and Happiness Always! Patricia Greenberg

from The Orange County Register
April 19, 2007

by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

They gave us paper. They gave us spaghetti. For thousands of years they've consumed a food so rich in nutrients it prevents heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis and reduces menopausal symptoms.

The Chinese first used soybeans for medicinal purposes around the 15th Century A.D. It has been a staple in their diet for centuries, but not until the 1920's did Americans sit up and take notice.

April is National Soy Month, and I contacted registered dietician Susan Watkins of St. Joseph Heritage Health Care in Fullerton to learn more about the health benefits of soy.

"It's an excellent source of protein," she told me. "Some studies have shown that even 25 grams of soy per day can lower your cholesterol and prevent heart disease."

I've been concerned lately about conflicting reports about isoflavones, a nutrient in soy, actually causing breast cancer.

"The research is inconclusive," Watkins said. "For some people taking isoflavones in excess may increase cell proliferation. It is not recommended that people with estrogen type cancers in their families consume large amounts of soy. I tell people that eating soy is so beneficial. Just don't overdo it."

Cookbook author and chef Patricia Greenberg (a.k.a. "The Fitness Gourmet") agrees, and both advise getting your soy from food and not using powdered supplements. "It is not good to get all of your nutrition from one source" said Greenberg. "Interest in soy based products has skyrocketed, and there are so many varieties available: tofu, soy cheeses and milk, roasted soybeans, meat substitutes, miso, tempeh, even soy sour cream, margarine and cream cheese."

I think of tofu, for example, as a blank canvas, bland by itself, but just waiting to soak up the flavors of whatever you add to it. But how do you incorporate these "miracle" foods into your diet?

Greenberg's first book, "The Whole Soy Cookbook" (Three Rivers Press), was a groundbreaker when it was published in 1998. Besides 175 mouthwatering recipes - Crispy Tofu with Plum and Ginger Sauce, Soy Sour Cream Lemon Loaf, Onion Soy Parmesan Focaccia, Chocolate Soy Brownies - Greenberg explains the health benefits of soy, details the growing list of soy products available and tells how to cook with soy for optimum nutrition.

"Using soy milk, tofu, and soy flour reduces the fat and eliminates cholesterol without skimping on taste and texture," says Greenberg. "No longer do you have to turn down dessert or stop your family from eating sweets if you incorporate these products."

In "Soy Desserts" (ReganBooks) Greenberg proves that even the most decadent treats can be good for you. She recommends substituting soy flour for all-purpose flour when baking. "However," she warns, "it cannot completely replace it. Replace up to 50 percent of the all-purpose flour called for in most recipes for cakes and muffins. And keep them in the refrigerator or wrap them very tightly to keep air and moisture out."

So you'd like to try adding soy to your diet, but where to begin? Greenberg suggests starting out by taking your favorite recipes and replacing some of the ingredients with soy. "When making bean soup use soybeans," she advised. "When making meatloaf, meatballs or meat sauce, use half the amount of beef or chicken and combine it with soy sausage. Use soy milk instead of cream in soups and sauces, and puree some tofu instead of sour cream when making dips. There are so many ways to get soy deliciously into the family diet. Hands down, this chocolate tofu mousse can pass for the real thing."

TOFU CHOCOLATE ALMOND MOUSSE
from "Soy Desserts" by Patricia Greenberg

1 1/2 pounds regular tofu
1/2 cup sugar or light granulated cane juice
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup almond slivers, toasted, for garnish

In a food processor, puree tofu until smooth. Add sugar, cocoa and almond
extract; continue to process until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into an airtight container and chill for 2 hours. Serve in individual dessert dishes; garnish with almond slivers. Will keep, wrapped, in refrigerator one week.

This book has some fairly good basic info in the beginning, but the recipes are unusual. They don't sound appetizing. I didn't see any recipes I liked. I wanted basic recipes like vanilla soy ice cream, strawberry soy shakes, etc..., but they only have recipes with all kinds of unusual ingredients. I wanted healthy recipes also, such as fruit sweetened, etc....

I was excited to try my new Soy desserts cookbook last month. The recipes that I wanted to try called for expresso soy chips and chocolate chips. I was also pleased to see a source for soy chips at the back of the book. A company called Cloud Nine out of New Jersey seemed to have what I needed. Unfortunately, when I tried to e-mail them their home page was down. I tried calling but circuits were all busy. I have been trying for the last month to reach them but to no avail. I even called all my local health food stores including Whole Foods but no one has been able to help. the response I get is oh you mean carob choc. chips. No, the book indcates expresso or chocolate soy chips. What's the problem here? I would like to try some other recipes but this soy chip thing is bugging me! And while I'm on the subject of soy beans, why do the Edamame soybeans we buy in the store come from China. If we produce so many soybeans in the USA why are they coming from China? I love using soybeans but I am frustrated.